I'm using Scrivener (Mac) to write my first programming book. Any tips to get the most out of Scrivener?
Dang, I was hoping YOU were giving out Scrivener tips. I have the trial, but haven't played with it much.
I'm a big Scrivener fan, but I know I'm not making the most of it. I've been trying to apply some of the tips from this book, which is worth reading.
Definitely assign your own shortcuts. You can do this with a Mac, but I'm having trouble recalling the process.
Trust me, shortcuts are the way to go. Especially for the Thesaurus!
The Mac version has a thesaurus? I have the PC version. Wish it had a thesaurus.
I wrote a pretty comprehensive blog post on using Scrivener. You may find it interesting.
So then my question is, what makes Scrivener worth the money?
I wrote a pretty comprehensive blog post on using Scrivener. You may find it interesting.
Thanks for sharing that. I'm the same way about needing to start at the beginning and write until the end, so I've always been a bit put off by those features...
@Michael - cool blog post.
I'm using xmind (mindmapping software) to brainstorm my latest short story. Then I think I'll try using my trial version of Scrivener to outline the plot/scenes. In real life, I use index cards to jot down scenes, so being able to do that digitally should work for me. I really like the idea of being able to keep all of my story info in one place, but still in their analogous "media" (notes, index cards, research material). If Scrivener had a brainstorming function (like a mindmapping tool), then it'd be just about perfect.
@Utah: Try it out, and you'll see.
I've already soaked another thread with my love for Scrivener. But to sum it up for you, it's much more than a word processor. That program is made with the writer in mind.
I can't describe to you what makes it worth the money, but I've bought the program TWICE. (Once for Mac, once for Windows.) I'll buy it a third time when it comes out for the iPad. I'm the one who coined the term, "Scrivenerd." Yep. Best thing ever.
I guess you'd consider me a power user. Spent three years on my last novel in it. The most useful thing to me is having everything right there in one view just a click away without changing windows. All my reseach: media files, web pages, docs, just dragged right in. Synopsis of the current chapter on a note card in the corner keeping me on task. Notes for things to revisit or verify in another corner. There's a full-screen blackout feature to rid me of desktop distractions. Also, a word-count target window if you like, for setting daily or big-picture goals and seeing those progress bars move. You can take "snapshots" of documents at certain points in time, which is handy for comparing revisions, similar to "track changes" in Word.
All that, and then creating an e-book edition from it is a piece of cake. You'll want to bounce out to InDesign or the like for print layout, though, or maybe Word for certain other processing features.
As for more customized usage, I like the main view split to show two concurrent documents. I usually use my second for a timeline, but also pop my research into it, or character dossiers with their photos as a reminder to help keep their descriptions consistent. I have a HUD window for my full character list, as well as scene locations or major thematic elements, and I color-code each item to represent a certain amount of tension. So I can look at a chapter, see which/how many of those elements it contains, and get a feel for how tight the screws are at any given time. I create a document for each chapter, but a lot of people go smaller with one for each section break, because they're so easy to string together it makes writing nonlinearly a breeze. I get more done because I can jump around. In theory.
Here's a pretty typical screengrab of how I use it:
Just heard about Aeon Timeline, an app that syncs with Scrivener. It's for building timelines and arcs and relationships. $40 is more than I care to pay for a tool like that, but I definitely could've used it with my last novel, given how complex that aspect was.
Does look cool (Aeon). Maybe I'll get it if I do a huge multi-generationl decalogy about intelligent doorstops who travel through time to try and stop the invention of ice cream.
Those bastards.
Cool find G. I like the way it integrates. Time and relationships is what writers deal with the most. Will probably buy it sooner or later.
Oh, new tip that I learned today. Apparently you can download templates others have created, like The Hero's Journey template, or a Beat Sheet template. Nifty.
I had Scivener for Mac for 7 months before I actually started using it! i had gone through it a few trimes, but I didn't give it the attention it deserved. Once I started using it - and using the note card feature, it definitely made writing easier AND I like that the entire project is in one place. I try to use the force to urge people at Scrivener to make an iPad version. Luckily, I'm not the only one who wants it! I'm definitely pro-Scrivener! And I think using "the force" definitely has (slowly, but surely) works!
They just released the beta version of a companion app called Scapple, for mind-mapping. Doesn't seem like my thing, but give it a try if you like.
Scapple is a tool for getting early ideas down as quickly as possible and making connections between them. The main advantage of doing this in Scapple instead of on paper is that you don't run out of paper (the Scapple canvas expands to fit as many notes as you want to create), you can move notes around to make room for new ideas and connections, it's easy to delete and edit notes, and it's easy to export your notes into other applications when you know what you want to do with them.
I'm kind of excited about that. Don't know that I want to beta-test, but I'm certainly interested in the final version.
I'm always trying new mindfu--mapping stuff. Cool.
Downloaded and experimenting. Pretty rudimentary, but nice. That you can use it with Scrivener ... priceless.
